Taking a chance

President Barack Obama passed on a chance Monday to take a big swing at the very controversial choice by President-elect Donald Trump to make Steve Bannon his chief strategist. But several California Democrats aren’t exercising similar restraint. Many are taking a big whack at Bannon, who ran Breitbart, a website responsible for articles many consider racist and anti-Semitic.

Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said that there “must be no sugarcoating the reality that a white nationalist” will have the ear of the next president in the West Wing. (Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke certainly approves.) Secretary of State Alex Padilla said that Trump is “effectively giving white supremacists and anti-Semites a seat at the table” and warned that Bannon will try to turn alt-right rhetoric into policy.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield said he doesn’t know Bannon personally, so he’s going by Reince Priebus, Trump’s new chief of staff, who has vouched for Bannon. “I’ve always believed in giving somebody a chance,” McCarthy said.

Take a number: 14

Barack Obama used executive orders to get around a hostile Congress and implement his vision. But Donald Trump can undo much of Obama’s legacy by undoing his executive orders. The Hill lists 14 topics that are probably in Trump’s crosshairs. They deal with with clean water, air pollution, fracking, financial services, financial advisers, overtime, union organizing, payday loans and tobacco oversight. Elections do have consequences.

Foon Rhee takes a look at the legacy of John Shirey, who ends a five-year run as Sacramento’s city manager this week. Despite his successes, the police shooting of Joseph Mann tarnishes the end of his tenure.

Lexington Herald-Leader: It’s way too hard to vote in Kentucky, so voters should demand that the governor and members of the General Assembly make expanding opportunities to vote a priority in the next legislative session.

Tweet of the Day

“‘Our lead tonight is news that we hoped we would never have to report.’ @JudyWoodruffon the passing of Gwen Ifill.” – @NewsHour

The staff of “PBS NewsHour” mourns one of their own. Ifill, 61 and the anchor of “Washington Week,” died Monday of endometrial cancer. She was one of the nation’s most prominent black political writers and debate moderators, working for both The New York Times and The Washington Post before switching to broadcast journalism.